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1 | Know Your Why

Okay, I know you’re pumped to get started--totally ready to start Kond-ing your way to a perfectly tidy and organized pantry.

But let’s press pause for just a second.

Because before we dive into decluttering, it’s important to get clear on why you’re actually doing this in the first place.

Starting with your “why,” makes a big difference when it comes to decluttering, and will help you keep it up in the long term (hint: see Simon Sinek Start with Why for more on why “why” is such a game changer).

So before diving in, I want you to take a few moments to reflect on why decluttering in this area will make a difference in your life.

3 | Only the Essentials

The final step to decluttering your pantry, fridge and even the freezer is to put everything back in a simplified, systematic way. Here’s how:

By Type

Now that you’ve decluttered, it’s time to put everything back.

First, gather ingredients and food item, putting them back in the fridge and pantry by type.

For example, group proteins together in the freezer, and place grains together in the pantry.

Snacks and cereal can go together on another shelf, and baking items can be grouped together as well.

No need to over-think this part, just do the best you can, putting items together in a way that makes the most sense to you.

You’ll find that having items together makes meal prep and planning so much easier, plus gives you a better sense of what you have and what you need.

Audit

Okay everything is back in place--you’re in the home stretch!

Now it’s time for the bonus round: do an audit of your fridge, pantry, and freezer.

This is more of an advanced step, but it does really help in simplifying meal prep, planning, and grocery shopping.

The purpose of the audit is simple: to create a list of grocery items necessary to fill in any gaps that you’ve uncovered as a result of decluttering.

Because you’ve already organized the fridge and pantry by type, it should be pretty easy to see what’s missing, and as well as to see what needs to be replaced.

Check the pantry and fridge, create the list, and then work on adding these items back over the coming weeks.

This doesn’t have to happen all at once--just a few items at a time will get you where your want to go.

Tip: Stock up on essentials such as shelf-stable items and protein when they go on sale, either online, or at your local grocery or wholesale store. Freeze what you can’t use within a few days in individual serving sizes.

Magic List

Okay, you amazing human, you’ve made it to the last step.

You are crushing it!

The magic list is the last step in decluttering your pantry and fridge, and will help you maintain the work you’ve done to declutter, plus drastically cut down on the amount of time you spend figuring out what you need to buy at the grocery store.

Here’s how it works.

Using a piece of paper or notes function on your phone (I prefer the phone option, as that way you’ll always have it with you), write out a list of pantry and fridge staples.

These are items you use often, the items to keep on hand all the time.

Then, as you make your grocery list each week, take a quick look at the magic list to see what you might need to grab or stock up on.

Keep the list updated between store and pantry and you’ll always have staples on hand.

Simple, streamlined, and totally worth the effort.

There, you did it!

Good job--for doing the work, and taking the time to work through these steps!

Now that you have a decluttered fridge and pantry I hope you find planning, prepping, and cooking real, healthy food becomes so much easier.